Doubt remains over Pako “high-rise” idea

GEELONG WEST residents are increasingly frustrated with council consultation for a Pakington Street development framework, which they say is failing to acknowledge their worries.

Objectors have complained of difficulty accessing and interpreting new resources and not having their opinions appropriately acknowledged during current engagement of the Pakington Street Urban Design Framework (UDF).

The City of Greater Geelong started another round of community consultation last month on a draft strategy for the Pakington North Precinct, after ticking off plans for Gordon Avenue and a Heritage Core Precinct in December last year.

COGG indicated its additional round of engagement aimed to “to clarify the intent of proposed building controls and help residents and stakeholders better understand the process” that led to the document.

But residents say the new information has done little to abate their concerns, and the current process hints at a pre-determined outcome from the current engagement round.

“No one is debating the need for a revitalised Pakington Street, we are simply asking for it to be done responsibly and in line with existing strategies for Geelong, and for the full impacts of proposals to be resolved and made available to the community,” resident and community spokesperson Jessica Sullivan said.

“The proposed UDF has not appropriately explored the impacts on residents and businesses, and there is no transparency over why high-rise development has been included in the plan when all previous consultations have been met with overwhelming community objection.”

Fellow Geelong West resident Ashlee Lawler said she felt her concerns about tall buildings blocking sunlight and privacy to her backyard and worsening traffic impacts were not reflected in the draft framework.

Meanwhile, campaigners have renewed a petition or Brownbill Ward councillors against “High-rises on Pako” that has surpassed 400 signatures, on top of a similar petition of about 900 people last year.

COGG said it welcomed ongoing feedback to its UDF: “Community input is really important to this process and all feedback will contribute to the final recommendation that will be considered by council,” director of city planning and economy Gareth Smith said.

The city said it had hosted 44 people at three “neighbourhood chats” during the weekend of August 27-28, including unregistered attendants, and a further 32 at a live webinar earlier that month to answer questions on the project.

It has also provided explanatory videos and a three-dimensional model of a potential future look for the northern precinct – which it said was a new engagement tool.

COGG said its current consultation round, which started August 11, adds to around 30 weeks of engagement between March 2018 and a council decision last December.

Feedback on the UDF closes on Sunday, September 11.